Two top breakfast presenters axed after seven years in major channel shake up

After seven years at the helm of CBS Saturday Morning, presenters Michelle Miller, 52, and Dana Jacobson, 52, have been axed by the broadcaster in the latest in a series of cuts. The pair, who joined the show in 2018, are the latest casualties following the takeover of CBS's parent company, Paramount Skydance, by billionaire mogul David Ellison over the summer. An insider told Variety that most of the show staff have also been given pink slips.

The show’s executive producer, Brian Applegate, was also among those to be let go. The 28-year-old show, which airs on Saturday mornings from 7 to 9 am, has been cancelled as part of a radical shake-up. Sources told the New York Post that it is understood the programme is being overhauled by new CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and President Tom Cibrowski.

Ellison has announced a plan to axe more than 2,000 employees across the organisation. In a memo to staff, he reportedly wrote: "In some areas, we are addressing redundancies that have emerged across the organisation. In others, we are phasing out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities, and the new structure is designed to strengthen our focus on growth."

It is unknown if the cancellation is immediate or if the show will air this Saturday, November 1. It has been hit by a ratings decline this year, dropping 10% in total viewers to 1.9 million. Miller worked at the Los Angeles Times in the early 1990s before moving into broadcasting.

She is married to Marc Morial, the former mayor of New Orleans and current head of the National Urban League. Meanwhile, Jacobson spent a decade working at ESPN, where she appeared on First Take and SportsCenter prior to joining CBS in 2015.

A source told the New York Post that the broadcaster is also canceling CBS Mornings Plus, which airs from 9 to 10 am on weekdays. Adriana Diaz and Tony Dokoupil co-host the programme, which reportedly aired its last episode on Friday, October 31.

But they're not the only presenters who have been given the chop. CBS Evening News host John Dickerson also announced earlier this week that he would be leaving the network after 16 years.

In total, 100 positions at CBS News are being axed. An initial round of cuts across the broadcaster impacted 1,000 staff members across various departments, with another 1,000 soon to follow.